Ray's Happy Birthday Bar
Ray’s is a bar in Philadelphia that opens at 7 a.m. every day of the week except for Sunday, when Ray’s opens at 9 a.m. This is to say that Ray’s is a bar for locals who are serious about drinking, whether they be South Philly old-timers or service-industry hipsters, or people from out of town who like to drink in such places. Ray’s is over 75 years old. You can smoke at Ray’s. There is a mysterious tiled trough that runs along the base of the oak bar, and there is a sign in the bathroom indicating that hand towels are available from the bartender. A 12-oz. can of Yuengling Premium and a shot of Windsor Canadian Whisky is always $4, and there is no happy hour. Oh, yeah, and Friday is karaoke night.
PRO TIP: Pat’s and Geno’s, Philly’s most famous cheesesteak spots, are just around the corner. But when it’s late and the beers catch up with you, walk the two extra blocks to Center City Pretzel Co., a commercial bakery that sells hot-off-the-conveyer-belt pretzels for 35 cents a pop starting at midnight, Monday through Friday.
THE DETAILS: Ray’s, along with nearly every bar in Philly, closes at 2 a.m., which means last call could be as early as 1:30 a.m. And we’re serious about the smoking thing.
